Revive the Orbs
by red mage1
Summary: A novelization of the original Final Fantasy which gaves the characters actual personalities.
1. Prologue

Final Fantasy and its plot are property of Squaresoft, Inc.  
  
  
Prologue  
  
The five Sky Warriors stood before the dark building. A great burden was upon them; the weight (and the fate) of the world was on their shoulders. The control over the Wind which mankind had learned throughout the centuries suddenly began to wane. The Twelve Sages fought this as best they could, to no avail, though they were able to pinpoint the cause of the energy drain at an old temple out in the wilderness. The Sages gathered the five greatest warriors that the Lefeinish people, for that matter humanity, had to offer, to find out the source of the problem and succeed where they had failed. The five, christened the Sky Warriors, defenders of civilization, flew the new Airship to this supposedly deserted temple. The party knew that they were simply delaying the inevitable by standing outside, so each ignored the feeling of dread they felt and continued inside.  
  
Josiah pulled the huge sword off his back and readied himself to use the weapon in battle. Aerick, the great dragoon said to have slain hundreds of dragons in his twenty-eight years of life, steadied his lance as he prepared to face an even greater foe than the mighty dragons. Harkiro, an archer and veteran of more battles than he could count, prepared his bow and arrow to strike the first enemy that appeared. The silent swordsman Gibifern pulled both of his long swords from their sheaths and held them ready to use. The mighty wizard Loracus brought up the rear, preparing to utter spells to lay waste to whatever evil the group might stumble upon. The Sky Warriors were ready to vanquish any human that dared steal nature's power, but nothing could have prepared the group for what awaited them.  
  
Four strange beings were gathered around a circle on the ground, talking amongst themselves. A giant skeletal demon draped in black floated ominously. Beside him, a woman with the body of snake from the waist down, six arms, and red skin impatiently slithered in place. Across from her was a giant octopus flailing about, looking extremely out of place on land. At the head of the group was a large four-headed green dragon. Deciding caution may be the better part of valor, the Sky Warriors watched and listened as these strange things argued.  
  
"Tiamat, the date is wrong! Garland's spell only sent us sixteen centuries forward! It will be four hundred more years until Garland's day!" the snake-woman cried.  
  
"Quiet, Marilith. It will take at least three hundred years to claim control of the elements way from those puny humans, because they have twelve very powerful wizards stopping us from doing so. I told Garland to send us a good bit further back than his lifetime, and this is the best he could do," the one called Tiamat responded.  
  
"Tiamat, we aren't immortal yet," crackled the skeleton.  
  
"Do you think I don't know that, Lich?" retorted Tiamat. "I'm already working on stealing the Wind's power. As long as the humans don't know who's behind it, we're safe."  
  
The Sky Warriors realized that this was who was responsible for the drain. They attacked from the shadows, all aiming for the green dragon Tiamat. Josiah struck one of the heads, nearly severing the neck with his huge broadsword, Gibifern got in two solid slashes to the stomach, and Harkiro's arrow hit one of the dragon's eight eyes. Tiamat recoiled instantly, roaring from the sudden pain.   
  
The other three fiends prepared to join the battle. Marilith the snake-woman took a sword in each hand of her six hands and began flailing away at the heroes. As soon as she did, a mighty blast of meteors and fire came her way and knocked her backwards into the octopus, making the water spell the octopus Kraken was casting fizzle. The skeleton simply grabbed the nearest fighter, who happened to be Harkiro, and began draining the life out of his victim.  
  
Aerick vaulted himself into the air to finish off Tiamat. At the zenith of his jump, he pointed the spear downwards, straight at the dragon's heart. Aerick gained speed as he fell, preparing to kill the fiend threatening his world. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a lightning bolt hit Aerick, shocking him severely and knocking him off-course. Aerick landed beside Tiamat with a pathetic thud, unconscious.  
  
"That's what you get for underestimating your foe!" yelled Tiamat, still reeling form the first blow the heroes dealt him.  
  
Josiah suddenly turned toward Lich, the one who held Harkiro in its grasp. Yelling a fearsome battle cry, he hefted his huge sword and instinctively thrust it into where Lich's heart should be. The sword tore through the robe, but Lich was unharmed. This monster literally had no heart. Lich dropped Harkiro, who was still barely alive, and decided to pay back Josiah for his little move. Josiah lobbed at Lich's head, causing a deep gash in the bone, although Lich seemed unaffected. Then, a column of fire came from behind Lich and seemed to start reducing him to ash. The fire subsided, and Lich was down on the ground, gasping for energy.  
  
"We need to get rid of that pesky mage!" yelled Marilith the snake-woman. She charged at Loracus, all six swords swinging. Right before she got to the him, though, she felt two sharp stabbing pains in her back from Gibifern's twin swords. Marilith turned and started attacking him. Against any human, Gibifern was without peer in swordfighting, but he was having to exhaust every bit of his potential to even parry and dodge against Marilith's blows. After what seemed like an eternity of swordplay, Marilith finally landed a glancing blow on Gibifern, knocking the man backwards six feet and rendering him unconscious.  
  
Marilith turned to face Loracus and began to chant a fire spell to reduce him to cinders. At the same time Marilith cast her spell, Loracus released his spell of ice. The two magics harmless passed beside each other in mid air, then hit the intended target. A huge fire consumed Loracus, and he fell to the ground in a heap, unconscious, with severe burns over every inch of his body. A blizzard of ice and snow fell on Marilith, sapping her fiery powers. She dropped her swords and fell sprawled out onto the ground. The attrition rate in this battle was starting to climb very quickly.  
  
Josiah was about to finish off Lich when the giant octopus tried to sneak up on him. The octopus being hopelessly out of its element, Josiah nearly hacked off two or three of its tentacles before it retreated. Josiah again faced Lich, wondering how he could destroy this abomination.  
  
Then Tiamat once again roared and charged at Josiah, obviously having recovered from his earlier wounds. Josiah took a fighting stance, ready to fend off the giant attacker. However, before Joisah could score a solid hit on him, Tiamat slammed one of his heads into Josiah, knocking him over and incapacitating him.  
  
The Sky Warriors were defeated, though they had caused the Four Fiends a great deal of inconvenience. The takeover would proceed as planned. Four hundred years from now, the group would be nearly omnipotent, and they owed it all to Garland, or as he should be called with his newfound powers, Lord Chaos. Still, the four wondered what to do with the defeated heroes.  
  
"They need a new form. Zombies?"  
  
"No, Lich. These were warriors put up a good fight. We should give them their wings!"  
  
Slowly, the defeated Sky Warriors' forms began to change. They gradually morphed into their new shapes: those of bats. They were doomed to face eternity in these dreadful bodies, made even worse because they kept their human minds. Tiamat simply laughed, then resumed drawing the force of the Wind from the Twelve Sages. 


	2. Origins

Michael looked out the window, wondering what was out there. For two weeks, ever since his twenty-second birthday, Michael felt like he just didn't belong in the hamlet he was raised in. He had no close friends except for his girlfriend Anne, no job except for the odd chores he performed at his uncle's weapon shop, and no idea what to do with the next forty years of his life. It wasn't even the lack of excitement that made Michael want to leave. Michael just had this vague feeling that something better than the life he lived now awaited him on the road. Seeing as how he really had nothing to lose, Michael decided to give in to his sudden, irrational love of adventuring and leave town that night.  
  
Michael packed a good amount of food and clothing, because he knew it would take quite a while to reach the next town. Then, he turned around and moved the heavy oak dresser that stood behind him, uncovering a small secret panel. He flipped it open, revealing a dull gray orb, covered with layers upon layer of dust. He wiped the dust off and stared into the orb, thinking back to the one time he'd seen the sphere before, when his grandfather showed it to him eleven years ago.  
  
"Any guess what that is, Michael?"  
  
"Some sort of crystal ball?"  
  
"No. This little ball is more important than some soothsayer's tool. This is the most important thing you've ever had a chance to see in your life. This is one of THE orbs."  
  
"You're pulling my leg, Grandpa!"  
  
"I'm being serious for once, Michael. This has been passed down in our family for ten generations. One of our ancestors was given this orb by a Sage who foresaw that one of the Light Warriors would come out of his family line. Maybe it's you, Michael."  
  
"Me, a great hero? That'll be the day."  
  
"I don't know. That story might not even be true. For all I know it's not. But it might be, so just in case it turns out to be true and you are the hero..."  
  
Michael took the Orb and silently crept out the door. As he headed for the path that led out of town, he realized this was his last chance to say goodbye to Anne. He strolled over to her house and tapped on her window. Immediately, the window opened and Anne's face appeared. "What is it, Mike? You know how late it is?!"  
  
"Sorry, Anne, but this can't wait. I'm leaving town tonight."  
  
"Huh? You said you're leaving town?"  
  
"Yes, I'm leaving town. You heard me right."  
  
"But why? Running away from something you did?"  
  
"It's not that. I feel like some higher power's telling me to go. I don't know where I'm headed, I just have to go there. I'm not going crazy. Just listen to me."  
  
"If that's how you feel, go on. I won't stop you. Go have fun saving the world."  
  
"You'll be waiting on me when I come back?"  
  
"I'd rather kill myself than marry one of the other country bumpkins that live in this town. So come back, or I'll end up dying a nun."  
  
"All right, Anne. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Mike."  
  
Miles and miles away, in a church in a large city, a young female priest sat down and looked out the window at the rain. She kept thinking about the feelings within her that told her to leave the safe walls of the church and go out in the world. As she sat by the window looking troubled, another priest walked by and saw her lost in thought.  
  
"What troubles you, Sister Kyra?"  
  
"Let me be, Brother Mark."  
  
"You look like you'd rather be elsewhere, Kyra."  
  
"I've been wanting to leave this church for some time now, but I know it's just some foolish fantasy I shouldn't chase after.."  
  
"You mean, for relaxation? You've been overworking yourself lately, and..."  
  
"No, Mark, just leave. To leave the church and fight for some great purpose, although I have no idea what that purpose may be."  
  
"You want to fight evil?"  
  
"Yes, in some way or another."  
  
"Then go, Kyra. You have a calling as a wanderer then, and not a person like me who could live their entire life in this church. You won't be leaving the eternal battle of good and evil, just fighting in a much more direct form. Wait... You don't suppose...  
  
"Brother Mark quickly left the room, and came back with a small gray Orb identical to the sphere the one named Matthew had. Kyra nearly fainted at what Mark was suggesting. How could she, of all people, be a Light Warrior? Unable to say anything before Mark could hand the Orb to her, Kyra suddenly realized that everything about her being destined to leave true. Kyra nodded, and started off toward the door. Before she got out the door, however, Mark threw her a long white robe.  
  
"Wear that. And be careful, the world out there is a dangerous place, full of sin and deceit. And be vigilant, or your beauty may turn out to be little more than a curse."  
  
Mark's words kept repeating themselves over and over in Kyra's head. As Kyra walked by the water, she was able to catch a reflection of herself in the water thanks to her torch light. She slipped the robe on over her clothes and pulled the hood on as well. Now, she realized why Mark wanted her to wear this: she looked fairly convincingly like a man in this outfit, and thus she could walk around freely without all the dangers of being a woman. She needed a new name to go by as well that could conceivably be a man's name, and her middle name Logan would work perfectly.  
  
Kyra realized that she had traded her old life for a new one in the space of a few minutes. She was ready to fulfill her destiny. If only those eerie feelings had been a bit more specific, she could be on the route to wherever she needed to be to save the world.  
  
Aiko the black mage took his life savings out of the small moneybag he kept and laid it on the table in front of the merchant. The merchant searched through a small crate, found a black robe and a steepled hat, and handed them to Aiko. Aiko changed into the robe and put on the hat, then looked at himself in a mirror. What he saw was a new person, hiding any traces of the sad sixteen-year-old boy that came to Alister seven years ago because he felt powerless.  
  
Under the guidance of the great hermit-wizard Alister, Aiko learned the art of magic. Although Alister was concerned about Aiko becoming addicted to power, Aiko loved the feelings of power, mystery, and control magic gave him. In fact, Aiko made it his goal in life to become the world's most powerful mage and eliminate any weakness that existed in him. Taking in hand the gray sphere Alister had given him at the end of his apprenticeship, Aiko set off on the dusty road to the unknown, ready to take on whatever the world threw at him.  
  
In an old guardhouse, a young man named Cadoc turned in his resignation to the captain of the guard. The captain, a middle-aged man and experienced soldier, glanced over it. Not able to believe the colossal stupidity of the soldier who just turned in this form, he read it silently a few times. Finally he read it out loud, just to convince himself it was real.  
  
"Let's see... 'I, Cadoc, being of sound mind and health, do now hereby voluntarily resign my position in the elite guards of...' What's this rubbish? Why in the world would you want to quit the only job you'll ever find in this village?"  
  
"I'll be leaving the village, sir. I want to go out and use all my martial arts skills to make a way for myself in the outside world. I'm already a black belt. I learned all these skills so I could go serve in distant armies fighting evil, or help the oppressed, not hang around this little corner of the world and pick off the occasional imp that gets too near the city outskirts."  
  
"That's a nice speech, boy, but war isn't glorious. It's horrible. There's a good chance you'll lose body, mind, and soul fighting a war you don't have to be in. Being a mercenary was the six hardest years of my life. I saw every friend I had die before my eyes. I don't want you to go through that, Cadoc."  
  
"Captain, I respect your advice, but I want to go no matter what you say."  
  
"All right. Turn in your uniform and collect your final payment from Lise. And good luck."  
  
After all the formalities were over, Cadoc set out on his aimless journey. It was aimless, maybe, but not pointless. He knew he had a purpose for being on this journey. He didn't learn the ways of the monk for nothing. As Cadoc was walking along pondering this, he ran into a traveling merchant walking the opposite way of him. He bought the merchant's most expensive object, a dull gray sphere that supposedly once belong to a great wizard with a name Cadoc couldn't hope to pronounce. This little beauty cost him all his gold, but something made Cadoc feel it was something special. He thanked the merchant and kept on walking down the trail.  
  
And so the four heroes each began their journey, not knowing that their paths would all eventually converge. Neither did they grasp the true power of the dull gray Orbs which they held in their hands. All they knew was that Fate was calling them to go somewhere, and they heeded its call.  
  
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"Destiny has nothing to do with it!"  
- Irvine, FFVIII 


	3. Gathering of the Warriors

It had to be miles to the next town. Michael couldn't believe he tried to walk all the way to Coneria in one day. He had already risked his life traveling over the mountain range alone, although he was fortunate enough to run into wild animals. Traveling at night was dangerous, and by the looks of things the sun was ready to set. He quickly pitched a tent and started a fire with a small brush pile that lay on the ground and his trusty firestarter. He hoped this little threat was enough to keep imps or wolves away, but he had a feeling he should stay up just in case.  
  
Cadoc saw the sun was getting ready to set. He knew the dark was the worst time to travel, so he began to search for a nice place to hang his hammock. Then, a good piece away off the trail, Cadoc spotted a tent pitched with a fire burning beside it. As he moved closer, he saw it belonged to a man with flaming red hair who seemed unarmed. Throwing caution to the wind, Cadoc walked into the campsite ready to face the man as friend or foe.  
  
Michael quickly jumped to a fighting stance. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"  
  
"I'd really like to camp someplace tonight, and I'd like to ask if I could use this place."  
  
"Sure. I wouldn't mind having a partner in case monsters attack."  
  
Michael looked over the friendly intruder more closely. He was a young man with dirty blond hair, about the same age as him, and a black belt tied around his waist.  
  
"That belt tells me that you're a monk."  
  
"Yes, I am a monk. I trained myself in martial arts from some old books in my church."  
  
"You're talking to another self-trained warrior. I learned how to use fight with weapons since I worked in my uncle's weapon shop most of my life. At first I just played around with them, but eventually I got to where I was able to actually fight."  
  
"I'm happy for you. By the way, where are you headed tomorrow?"  
  
"Coneria. I heard there was a problem at the castle and I'm going to see if I can do anything to help."  
  
"That's a worthy cause for me to undertake. Would you like me to join you?"  
  
"What are you getting at?"  
  
"We can get the job done twice as fast and twice as easy working together. Besides, lone travelers don't last long in the wilderness."  
  
"OK. I'll let you come along. We'll get started in the morning."  
  
Just then, something dressed in a long black robe and a pointy hat stumbled into the campsite. Michael and Cadoc jumped to their feet.  
  
"I wish to stay here. I don't have any money for an inn and I don't mean any harm," Aiko the black mage said to them.  
  
"I don't trust you, black mage," growled Michael. "What's your name?"  
  
"My name is Aiko. I'm going to Coneria to speak with the court prophet Lukahn. I have reason to believe he knows some vital information that is none of your concern. If the two of you are headed in the same direction, I ask that you would allow me to travel with you."  
  
Michael conceded. "Sure. The more the merrier."  
  
Kyra looked at the campsite in the distance. A tent and two hammocks were set up. She was scared she wouldn't find a place to sleep. This might be her only chance at safety. As she neared it, the three figures that were encamped there spotted her and began moving toward her. As they came nearer, she saw they were a man with red hair much brighter than hers, a monk, and a black mage. This was the oddest group of travelers she'd ever seen. They got a good look at her, too, and passed her off as harmless.   
  
"It's a white mage," the black mage brilliantly observed.  
  
"If someone like him attacks us, the world's already too far down the drain for me to want to save it anymore," said the red-haired man.  
  
"Brother! Doest thou need a place to lodge for the night?" offered the monk.  
  
Kyra's disguise must be working. They believed she was a man and she wanted to give them no reason to think otherwise just yet. She didn't trust them, especially the black mage. Thinking as hard as she could how to fool them, she quickly tried to change her voice to sound like a man.  
  
"Yes, brother. I grew weary from my trip. I would be honored to lodge with thee."  
  
The voice apparently fooled them as well.  
  
Shortly after, the group got to talking around the campfire. After basic introductions (and Kyra announced herself as Logan, as she thought of herself now), they got to telling why they were on the road.  
  
"As I told you, I'm Michael. Three weeks ago, I suddenly felt the urge to leave my hometown. I took the Orb my family passed down for generations..."  
  
"An Orb?" interrupted Logan.  
  
"This old gray Orb. My grandfather said this is one of THE orbs. That the one chosen by this would be a Light Warrior."  
  
"Brother Mark gave me this Orb just like before I left because he thought I was a Light Warrior, too."  
  
"My master gave me an Orb identical to those," Aiko mused. "Surely Alister didn't believe I  
was..."  
  
"Wait, I bought one of those off a traveling merchant.." Cadoc said, then added, "I know it wasn't given to me, but what are the odds that I'd meet the one merchant who had that in the middle of nowhere?"  
  
Michael couldn't believe it. "THESE are the Light Warriors? Come on! This shouldn't be happening! White mage...Logan, you had to memorize all the prophecies to become a priest, didn't you? What do they say about the Light Warriors?"  
  
Logan thought for a moment. "I do find it hard to believe that we are the Light Warriors. I do recall 'When the world is in darkness, Four Warriors will come.' It also says each will carry an Orb, which they will revive to their original glory as part of their quest. As for a description of the Light Warriors, they will each leave on a journey because of a longing to adventure. The Four will gather together, and bring light unto the world."  
  
Cadoc spoke what was on the minds of all four: "That's...us?"  
  
The group was silent around the campfire for a long time, each Light Warrior lost in their own thoughts. Michael already trusted everyone, but Cadoc seemed overconfident and Aiko very self-absorbed, yet Logan... nothing seemed to be wrong at all with Logan. Cadoc could care less about Aiko, as black magic was the complete opposite of martial arts, but he saw himself getting along rather well with a fellow physical warrior and a constructive white mage.  
  
Logan tired to look past the surface of people, and she liked what she saw for the most part. Michael and Cadoc were honest, open people it seemed. The two seemed like they thought they could take on anything. Aiko was different: he was very quiet, like he didn't want anyone to get to know him. The hat he wore that enclosed his face in darkness made it seem even more he was trying to hide his real self from the world.  
  
Aiko thought all three of his newfound partners, he wasn't going to call them his friends, were going to be a great help in his quest to become powerful, and the fight against evil when he had to use the power. However, he wasn't going to get attached to them, because he knew that someday there might have to be a sacrifice made in battle, and he may have to be the one to make the choice.  
  
In the morning, the four set off for Coneria, ready to help out with whatever trouble was going in that country. Each one of them felt a new burden upon them, but they also felt a new strength, knowing that they were they ones who would lead the world out of darkness.  
  
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"Warriors! Revive the power of the orbs!"  
- Random people, FFI 


	4. Coneria

It had been a long journey, but the Light Warriors finally arrived at Coneria. None of them had ever seen the Dream City in person, and it certainly lived up to its name. All the buildings were built out of brick, smoothed and painted white. The grass grew as green as any grass in the wilderness. A small stream of pure, clear water flowed peacefully, and a pool of shining water lay in the center of the city. Everyone half expected to see the streets paved with gold, but instead they were constructed with the same granite as the city walls. The city was indeed amazing, but it was dwarfed by Coneria Castle.  
  
The massive Coneria Castle towered over the surrounding landscape. It looked ancient, like it had always been a part of the landscape and always will be. Logan, for one, knew just how old it was. Coneria Castle was over 800 years old. It survived twelve wars, two revolutions, and a major earthquake. She wasn't about to let Coneria go down the drain after all that it had survived. Michael wanted to go on inside the castle, but Cadoc suggested they needed to learn all they could about the situation from the townspeople before getting started on this little quest.  
  
After an hour of questioning villagers and off-duty castle guards, the four were able to piece together this story: The Princess of Coneria, Sara, had been kidnapped. The kidnapper was Garland, a knight who was once a noble soldier of Coneria until something snapped in his head. Her disappearance had been foreseen by the court prophet Lukahn, who recently left to join the other Sages at Crescent Lake. However, her rescue by the Light Warriors was also foreseen by Lukahn, and this prophesy was what the king and queen were depending upon. The four decided it was time to go see the king.  
  
At the castle gates, the four were stopped by two guards dressed in the red and gold uniforms of the Conerian army. Michael announced they were the Light Warriors and humbly asked for an audience with the king. The guards were immediately skeptical of them, but when Michael said something about Orbs, the guards decided these strangers might be the real thing. The soldiers led the four inside the old castle, up a stone staircase, and down a corridor to a door. The guards went inside. Cadoc started to make a comment about how nobody trusted them, but then one of the guards walked out and said "King Daniel will see you now."  
  
The Light Warriors entered the royal chamber to see a man on the throne that looked strangely old and tired. This slumped-over man was the noble king of Coneria? He looked up at the group and said, "You are the Light Warriors? So you did appear, just as Lukahn said... You must save my daughter, Princess Sara. She was kidnapped by the traitorous knight Garland. We don't have the manpower to storm his base without leaving the castle undefended. Please, Light Warriors, for the sake of Queen Jane and myself and all of Coneria, rescue Princess Sara."  
  
Michael kneeled down and spoke to the king. "Have no fear, Your Highness. I give you my word. We will rescue Princess Sara from Garland and return her safely to you." Michael then stood up and left the room, and the other three followed. As they made their way out of the castle, Cadoc suggested they should prepare for the travels and battle ahead.  
  
The group went back to Coneria City to get equipped. The group divided the little money they had between them, and each member went to buy what was needed. Cadoc was put in charge of getting all the potions and medicine for the group. He walked up to the counter, put down a sack of gold pieces, and asked for thirty potions. He also watched as the clerk got a single potion off the shelf, put it in the potion bag Aiko lent the group, took the money for that potion, and went back to the shelf to repeat the process. Cadoc hoped the rest of his friends didn't run into neurotic shopkeepers like this one.  
  
When Logan walked into the white magic shop, she saw a witch at the counter dressed in a sky blue robe. "Yes, young man? May I help ye? We have many magics here that will allow one to realize their true potential. What are you looking for?"  
  
"What to you have, ma'am?"  
  
"We specialize in small spells for easing pain, curing colds, and the like."  
  
"I'm looking for something a bit more... powerful. As you can possibly tell by this simple white robe, I am a traveling priest. I need spells that will enable me to fight for my cause."  
  
"Ah! I have what you are looking for."  
  
The witch searched through a large trunk and pulled out four yellowed scrolls. She unrolled them, looked over them, rolled them back up, and offered one to Logan. "This be a healing spell called Cure. It will serve you well." Logan handed over one hundred gold pieces, and the witch gave her the scroll.  
  
"Learn it well, young man. What else may interest you? Perhaps you might want a spell like this that can cause actual harm to evil. This spell is called Harm."  
  
"Harm?! It exists?"  
  
"Yes. This spell was created to destroy those abominations called the undead. In the hands of a priest, it will be a powerful weapon. Do you want this spell?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Logan turned over the rest of her money and took the Harm scroll. Her budget was used up, but she was well on her way to becoming a great white mage.  
  
Aiko strolled into the black magic shop only to walk into almost total darkness. All of a sudden, two torches started burning and a wizard, hidden entirely by his olive green robe, greeted Aiko. "Welcome. What powers do you seek? This is only a beginner's magic shop, so I only sell first level spells."  
  
"I want the most powerful first-level spells you have."  
  
"For raw power, Fire or Lightning would be your choices."  
  
"I'll take both scrolls." The green-robed wizard took the money from Aiko and handed him the scrolls, then walked silently away. Aiko now had the chance to do something he trained for seven years to do: use real magic. With a few words and gestures, he could literally shoot fire or lightning out of his hands. Aiko felt like he could take on the world. "So this is power," he mused. "I like it."  
  
Meanwhile, Michael was buying weapons and armor for the group. The armor was easy: he bought chain mail for himself, wooden armor for Cadoc, and some cloth padding for Aiko and Logan. The weapons were harder to choose. Michael bought a rapier for himself, the best sword he could find in the sorry excuse for a weapon shop Coneria had. Pondering over what everyone else could use, he bought a pair of nunchucks for Cadoc (to go with his martial arts training), a hammer for Logan (because Michael remembered most priests take would rather not use bladed weapons), and a dagger for Aiko (because that's the only weapon a wimpy mage could use without cutting himself.) After he finished with his purchases, he gathered the Light Warriors on the outskirts of town and they set out for Garland's temple.  
  
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"The King is looking for the Light Warriors. Do they not happen to be you?"  
- Guard, FFI 


	5. First Blood

The Light Warriors had been walking on the way to Garland's temple for only a mile or two when they spotted a rustling in the bushes. Cadoc went forward to see what it was, but no sooner than he did, five angry imps pounced out of the bushes and charged at the party. The warriors quickly prepared for their first battle.  
  
One imp pounced at Cadoc and tried to stab him with its small pointed knife. Cadoc easily knocked it back three feet with one hit from the nunchucks. At the same time, another imp tried to stab Cadoc in the back, but Michael took the initiative and slashed his weak opponent across the chest, mortally wounding the imp. Michael then just stood there gazing at his defeated opponent, amazed at what he had just done.  
  
The other three imps charged at Logan and Aiko. Logan had never been in a fight in her life, so she gripped her hammer tightly with both hands and started making wild swings at the imps, hoping for the best. One actually connected with an imp, knocking it over. She closed her eyes, tried not to think about what she was doing, and finished it off with a blow to the head. Aiko raised his hands, yelled "Fire!" and a small flame consumed one imp, causing fatal burns to the evil thing. The last standing imp tried to drive a knife through the distracted Michael's torso, but his armor absorbed the blow and Michael ran his rapier into the imp's heart.  
  
The four victors surveyed the battlefield and the bodies of the enemies. They were dead. And it suddenly dawned on them: being a warrior isn't about honor and glory and parades. It's about killing. They had just killed these five imps. It wasn't murder, because they did it in self-defense, but still they had taken the lives of five other beings. How could a human not feel terrible about doing such a thing? The imps had no reason to attack them, but somehow that didn't make them feel any better. Shaking, the four searched their defeated foes' corpses for gold or anything they could use.  
  
The next two days traveling to Garland's temple was convincing reason enough to quit if they weren't chosen warriors. The terrain was either dense forests, soggy swamps, or open grasslands where imps could easily spot them. (The party must have sent over thirty imps to their grave during the journey to Garland, and each time it seemed to get easier.) Logan learned how to use the hammer well enough to where she could usually hit a target. Aiko was getting pretty good with magic, but was also practicing with his dagger so he could fight after he exhausted all his magical energy casting spells. Finally, after so much walking and fighting, they spotted the Garland's hideout. The temple was indeed old, and it looked like it was to ready to collapse if you looked at it the wrong way. Still, this place gave the Light Warriors a bad feeling that they tried to shake off as they entered.  
  
The first thing the four saw when they entered the temple was a path lined with columns leading up to a door, which they of course went in. When the Light Warriors entered, they stood in a dark room lit only by a black orb giving off an eerie purple glow. Also in the room were several unusual stone statues and five bats flapping around. More importantly, a beautiful young woman in regal clothes lay curled up on the floor in the back of the room while a tall knight in dark metal armor stood in front of the doorway. The princess and her kidnapper had been found. When Garland saw the party enter, he walked slowly toward them in his heavy armor, then yelled at them: "No one touches my princess!"  
  
Garland paused for a second. "So you are the Light Warriors?" Garland pulled his silver sword out of its sheath. "Impertinent fools. I, Garland, will knock all you down!"  
  
Then Garland leapt into the air and lifted his sword to try to "knock them down." The group quickly scattered, and Garland hit nothing. Michael and Cadoc charged Garland together in an attempt to overpower him. Cadoc swung his nunchucks, but they didn't seem to do very much against Garland's steel armor. Michael's sword seemed to do little more damage, the force of the blows being absorbed by the metal plating. Annoyed, Garland swung his blade and cut Cadoc badly across the shoulder.  
  
The two mages saw it was time for them to enter the fray. Logan quickly cast Cure on Cadoc, taking the sharp pain out of his shoulder and sealing off the blood flow. Aiko took another course of action and cast Fire on Garland. The heat of the flames caused Garland's armor to start to glow red. Garland tossed off his long flowing black cape ,which was beginning to catch fire from the heat, and charged at Aiko, the one who did this to him. Then, a small thunderbolt from Aiko's hands hit Garland square in the chest. Garland was stunned by the electric shock. Taking advantage of this, Michael and Cadoc resumed their assault on the dark knight with their weapons. Their hits seemed to hurt him now, passing easily through the weakened armor, and they managed to knock him onto the ground. Nearly helpless, Garland swung his sword wildly at his attackers, missing every time, as the warriors tried to beat the life out of him. Finally, Garland stopped struggling.  
  
"Do you surrender?"  
  
"Ne...nev...er..."  
  
Garland used his last ounce of strength to pull out a dagger he had hidden and try to slit his own throat, but did nothing more than cause blood to flow. Michael picked up Garland's sword and hefted it into the air.  
  
"No!" Logan yelled, and grabbed Michael's arm.  
  
"Stop it, Logan! He's the enemy!"  
  
"We can't just kill him! He's helpless!"  
  
"Look at him, Logan. He's as good as dead anyway. If we leave him alive, we'll just draw out his suffering. Wouldn't it be better if he died quickly, right now, than have him suffer a few more hours in pain?"  
  
Logan sighed. This was what it came down to. Killing a helpless opponent or leaving him to suffer in pain. Logan saw that Michael's cruel brand of mercy was really the only way. She let go of Michael's arm. "Go ahead. Do what you must."  
  
Michael, not wanting to do this any more than Logan wanted him to, used every bit of his willpower to force himself to drive the sword into Garland's heart. All signs of life that still remained disappeared. Garland, the evil knight, was dead.  
  
The group walked over to Princess Sara to see if she was unharmed. She appeared okay, and it looked as if she just snapped out of some type of magical trance. She looked up through her blurry eyes and saw a young, blond-haired man who was definitely not Garland.  
  
"Who...who are you? What are you doing here? Where's Garland?"  
  
Cadoc responded, "It's okay, Sara. Garland is dead." He pointed to the pile of armor that lay in the floor. "We're here to rescue you. We're going to take you home to the castle.  
  
Sara got to her feet clumsily. She was overwhelmed with joy and didn't know what to do. Tears started flowing, and she practically leapt into Cadoc's arms, hugging him as tight as she possibly could. "Thank you."  
  
"Come, Princess. Let's go back to the castle."  
  
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"I mastered the dark sword... But, it was to defend and not to rob."  
- Cecil, FFIV 


	6. Coneria Again

The two guards at Coneria castle stood watch as usual when they saw a group of five people approaching. They got ready to draw their swords as a precaution, but then they made out who these people were. They were the Light Warriors (from four days ago) and traveling with them was... Princess Sara? They couldn't believe their eyes!  
  
The five made their way up to Coneria castle. They got to the door when the guards simply stepped aside in awe. The group made their way as best they could up to the king's chamber, with advice from Sara keeping them from wandering into the kitchens or an empty bedroom. They finally arrived at the regal chamber and filed in silently. When they did, the king raised his head and looked at them.  
  
"Sara? Can it be?"  
  
"Yes, daddy. It's me, Sara."  
  
Both the king and his daughter burst out in tears. The monarch rose from his throne, all signs of the weakness of age he had before gone. He ran over and hugged Sara.  
  
"I've missed you so much."  
  
"Me too, daddy."  
  
"Are you okay? Did Garland...?"  
  
"No, I'm fine. I'm okay thanks to these people."  
  
"Light Warriors, thank you. I owe you my daughter's life. The celebration in your honor will be held tonight. Sara, let's go see your mother."  
  
The party was being held in Coneria city. The king and queen, Sara, her younger sister Laura, and the four victorious warriors stood on a platform. The whole of Coneria city and the castle guards were there for the party. Everyone waited as the king gave his little dedication speech to the Light Warriors.  
  
"Thanks to these four fine young men, Princess Sara has been saved from the evil knight Garland! This celebration is in your honor, heroes. Now, let us begin!"  
  
At the king's words, the traveling musicians the king hired to play picked up a fiddle, a bagpipe, and a flute, and started playing a lively dance jig like nothing the Light Warriors had ever heard. It sure was a change from drawn-out chants or drinking songs. The villagers started dancing with one another, and the warriors thought it looked like fun to join in.  
  
Then, a group of people came out of a house carrying trays all sorts of food. There were roast and grilled meats, vegetable dishes of all types, exotic foods the warriors had never even imagined before, and a huge bowl of punch. "A feast for our heroes!" they announced. "Everyone dig in!"   
  
The heroes, not having had a decent home-cooked meal since they first left on their journey, eagerly accepted and began to eat.  
  
Logan got herself a plate full of roast deer with Gaian greens, her favorite food in the world, when she decided to try a little bit of the punch. She poured herself a glass and took a sip, then immediately wished she hadn't. She had to force herself not to spew the vile concoction out of her mouth. What was this? Logan got her answer when she spied an old man adding a bottle full of some liquor labeled "Liquid Devil" to the punch. Logan quickly decided she didn't want any more.  
  
Michael was just standing around the table, eating small bits of this and that, when a woman about his age walked up to him. She was wearing a low-cut dress that also barely covered what it should have on the bottom. She took a drink of the punch, then stepped closer. Michael didn't say anything, so she started talking to him.  
  
"Hello, hero. My name's Arylon. I'm a dancer. You wanna dance?"  
  
Michael didn't really have a good first impression of the woman. "No, thanks."  
  
"But why not? Too good for a commoner, big, strong hero?" Arylon drank another glass of the punch. "Come on, let's dance."  
  
"I said no."  
  
"But I'm a really good dancer! Watch!" Arylon started kind of swaying back and forth, then took another stiff drink of the punch before she passed out onto the ground. Michael kind of edged away as Arylon's dad showed up to carry the girl back home.  
  
Cadoc was having a good time dancing with whatever girl asked him, but pretty soon he got tired of it. This was just like life back in the guards: you'd meet girls at dances who you'd never speak to again. He would rather marry a nice, quiet girl and settle down or live his life as a monk than go to pointless social gatherings like this. To pass the time, he decided to practice his martial arts off to himself.  
  
Aiko hadn't seen civilization in seven years, so it was kind of a shock being in a place like this. All these people dancing and having a good time was something completely foreign to him. Was this supposed to be fun? All that silly romance was of no use to him. The only thing Aiko cared about was getting so powerful no one could hurt him. Getting emotionally attached to someone is opening oneself up to weakness; he learned that the hard way. Aiko resigned himself to casting weak lightning and fire spells to impress onlookers.  
  
The part being at full swing, the king rose up from his seat on the platform and announced to the crowd, "Citizens of Coneria, thank you for making the Light Warriors feel at home! Now, we come to the highlight of the party. Princess Sara will thank each of her rescuers with a kiss!"  
  
Every Conerian man looked enviously at the warriors as they made their way up to the platform. Kissing a princess was something they could only dream of, and they were seeing it happen to someone else before their very eyes. The warriors themselves were nervous as they lined up and awaited their just reward. Logan really wished she were somewhere else, but she had to go along with this to keep up the charade, at least for now.  
  
Sara started with Michael. She walked in front of him and gave him a big smooch on the cheek. He couldn't help but smile and blush a little bit. "Hmm," thought Sara, "not bad. He's not too shy, so at least we could talk."  
  
Next was Cadoc. She gave him a kiss on the cheek just like she did Michael. Cadoc smiled, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Sara considered this one for a moment. "Nice and strong. I'd take him. But he's a monk, though. What a waste."  
  
Logan closed her eyes while Sara gave her the reward she earned: a polite little kiss on the cheek. Logan used every last ounce of her willpower to keep herself from making a scene and giving herself away. Sara pondered over this one in her head. "Nice smooth skin. Kind of shy, though. Oh well. The other two look better anyway."  
  
Sara looked at the mage in the black robe and huge hat. His face was completely hidden from view. Still, she casually walked over, stuck her head under the hat's brim, and gave a kiss to the man under the hat. When she did, Aiko felt a sudden warmth come over him. What was this emotion? It felt kind of nice. Suddenly, Aiko thought that maybe, just maybe, their might be something more than power in this world. But this made him feel vulnerable and dependent, the exact opposite of what power did.  
  
After Sara walked off stage, the party begin to wrap up. As everyone was saying their farewells and heading home, Aiko was off to himself again. He was gazing up at the stars, when suddenly he felt a strange presence, a disturbance that should not be happening. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.  
  
In a dark and ancient temple, something burdened beneath a pile of armor began to stir. It disappeared in an instant into the black orb in the room.  
  
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"I... do not... perish!"  
- Golbez, FFIV 


	7. Onward to Pravoka

The next morning the four Light Warriors gathered at the newly finished bridge across the Culligaf River. King Daniel ordered the bridge's immediate completion so the heroes could cross the river to the wilderness on the other side. The town of Pravoka was on the other side as well, and that was as good a town as any to visit, they thought. The king cut the ribbon for the bridge's opening, and the attendees of the celebration (mostly the solders who had built the bridge; the general population of Coneria was exhausted, or hung over, from last night's shindig) cheered. With a few waves and goodbyes, the Light Warriors crossed the bridge and headed off on their quest to relight the orbs.  
  
The monsters in this land weren't the puny imps and wolves of the path to the temple. These were a higher breed of monsters. Giant iguanas attacked them every so often, and the packs of wolves were in much higher numbers than they remembered. Insane wild horses that attacked the group were no walk in the park either, but they were nothing compared to the ogres. The ogres were muscular, eight-foot-tall creatures that resembled humans but were unfortunately four times as strong. The group met only two, and each time they survived only by Aiko's magic, which he quickly exhausted, and Michael's blade.  
  
Surviving all these monsters who wanted them dead wasn't easy, but finding the way to Pravoka was even harder. Logan said she knew Pravoka was a port city, but that didn't help in finding it one bit. After four days of pressing forward aimlessly, fighting off monsters, and crossing a small river with a wobbly bridge, the group saw a huge port city to the south. That had to be Pravoka.  
  
When they strolled inside the town, it was obviously not Coneria. It was easily twice as large, and made up mostly of clapboard buildings arranged haphazardly around the city. For a supposed bustling port, though, it was strangely quiet. Michael asked the only person he saw around, a teenage boy with a blue mohawk, what was going on in this place.  
  
"You must be new here, man."  
  
"Yes, we are. Why isn't more business going on?"  
  
"Bikke and his gang of pirates took over the city. Most people are too scared to even come outside. Bikke closed down the port as well, and this town's dead without all the sailors and merchants, ya know?"  
  
"Thanks for the information, kid."  
  
"Yeah. You have a pretty cool haircut too, old man."  
  
Michael led the group up to the northwest corner of town, where a large man with a long scraggly beard stood proudly looking around the town. He was laughing heartily at the pirates under his command moving crate after crate onto his beloved ship, the Enterprise. Suddenly, he spotted the four walking around freely and walked up to them, his large frame dwarfing them. "What are ye landlubbers doin' 'round here? Ye come to pay yer respects to Bikke?"  
  
Michael asked honestly, "Who's Bikke?"  
  
"I'm Bikke! And I think ye landlubbers need to learn a mite o' respect fer us pirates! Get 'em boys! Show 'em the power o' the mighty pirate army!"  
  
The nine pirates who were loading the stolen cargo onto the ship dropped what they had at the moment and charged straight for the Light Warriors. Michael drew his sword and stabbed one of the pirates leading the charge in the chest, then quickly turned and did the same thing to the pirate beside him. Cadoc twirled nunchucks and knocked the pirate charging at him in the head, sending him flying into a misplaced crate. Aiko sent a lighting bolt at one pirate, and the shock knocked him onto to ground, dead. One pirate went straight for Logan, and actually managed to slice Logan's arm with the blade. The cut, or maybe scrape would be a better word because no blood was drawn, barely phased Logan. Logan clumsily swung the hammer at her attacker, but this blow did quite a bit of harm to the pirate; in fact, it killed him. This fight against the pirates wasn't battle; it was slaughter.  
  
After the warriors made short work of the pirates, Bikke fell at their feet. "Please, forgive me, kind warriors! You can have me ship, just forgive me fer me misdeeds!"  
  
"Will forgiveness bring back your nine friends lying dead on the ground?" asked Cadoc. "They all died for nothing. They trusted you, and you sent them into a battle they had no chance of winning. For nothing!" Michael put a hand on Cadoc's shoulder and tried to calm him down.  
  
"Back off, Cadoc. It's over. Let me handle this."  
  
After Cadoc's outburst, Michael took over negotiated a truce with Bikke. The terms were he give the warriors his ship, give all his stolen goods back to the people of Pravoka, and the citizens of Pravoka could punish or pardon him however they saw fit. Michael decided the group had better get all the supplies they needed before the people of this town decided to throw a party for them as the citizens of Coneria did. A party full of decent, normal city folk was bad enough, but a party with drunken sailors could spell their doom.  
  
Aiko walked into the black magic shop, which took quite a while to find with the city's confusing layout, and looked to see what spells were available. To his dismay, the prices for spells here were higher than the Conerian prices, even if the magic was slightly more advanced. He bought an Ice spell, and saved the rest of his money for something he might need.  
  
Logan walked to the outskirts of the city, where a stone church stood. This was the church she left nearly a month ago; that place she grew up her whole life in. Her conscience swirling from the battle she just participated in, she stumbled in and ran right into her old friend, Mark, the same one who urged her to go on the quest.  
  
"Kyra? You're back?! What's going on?"  
  
"How am I supposed to stand it, Mark? All the killing?"   
  
Kyra quickly told Mark the story of how she got back: her first blood with the battle against the imps, how she'd allowed Michael to kill Garland, and how she actually killed another human being in battle just minutes ago.  
  
"How? I just killed a man! How do I live with that?"  
  
Mark didn't have an answer. He just glared at Kyra for a while, then finally managed to find something to say. He looked away, because he couldn't bear to look at her as he said it.  
  
"Kyra, you're an angel. An avenging angel, sent to destroy evil. You can't do that without getting blood on your hands."  
  
Mark's little words of wisdom didn't seem to help Kyra at all. He tried another approach.  
  
"I guess I can't really help you here. You were taught all your life killing's a sin, and now I'm telling you to go do it. You have to do what you have to do, Kyra. I guess all you could do is just try not to think about it. Kyra, your destiny is to destroy what's wrong so something better can come of it. You can't do that if you're feeling sorry for whatever dark knights and demons you have to slay to do it."  
  
"Thank you, Mark. I'll remember that."  
  
Not knowing how his well-meaning advice could help her, Kyra said her goodbyes to Mark. Once again, she had to leave the safety of the church walls and go out in the world to fight. Kyra stepped out of the church doors, and became Logan again.  
  
A few hours later, the four adventurers met again on the docks. The Enterprise was ready to set sail again, this time with four Light Warriors controlling it. Michael was pretty sure he could pilot the ship, but they still needed a destination.  
  
Cadoc had a suggestion. "Let's sail out of the Pravokan Gulf, then head southeast for ElfLand. From what I heard at the pub, trouble's brewing down there. They might need our help. Besides, where else could we go?"  
  
"We could visit the dwarves, but I have a feeling the elves are a tad bit more important." Michael walked onto the ship. "Let's set sail! Our destination: ElfLand!" Aiko and Logan lowered the skull and crossbones on the mast and raised a banner of a green crown on a white background, the international symbol of peace. Cadoc drew up the anchor, and the Enterprise set sail once again.  
  
Michael stood at the helm of the great ship, piloting the vessel on its course. All the while, he was thinking about how he seemed to have been made the unofficial leader of the group. He was better at negotiating than Cadoc, less apt to avoid necessary battles than Logan, and nowhere near as cold and distant as Aiko. This wasn't some honor to him, just another responsibility. Michael wondered to himself what motivation he had for going on, and it quickly came to him: Anne, his girlfriend back home. He had been in fights with friends over her before, and he'd gladly kill evil demons and save innocent people to see her again.  
  
Cadoc stayed up on the deck of the ship, practicing his punches and kicks on an invisible opponent. Pretty soon, he'd get to where he could do more damage with his fists alone than the nunchucks. Cadoc had a very good reason for the constant training: he knew this quest wasn't going to get any easier. He wanted to be prepared to face the unknown how any obstacle is best faced: head-on.  
  
Logan walked off to herself and tried to think how to take Mark's advice. "Try not to think about it" was easy for him to say. How could she not feel anything during battle, like an assassin or mercenary? The answer suddenly came to her, yet it was so simple: just keep on fighting. Every time she had seen an imp or some other monster fall, she felt less and less. And, she reminded herself, she had never committed murder: the monsters weren't human, Garland was going to die anyway and they had just saved him the pain and suffering, and they were simply defending themselves against the pirates, as any human being is entitled to do. This little justification made her feel a little bit better, enough to sleep through the night.  
  
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"In this world are many like me who've killed their emotions. Don't forget that."  
- Shadow, FFVI 


	8. ElfLand

After two days of sailing, the Light Warriors arrived at South Harbor on the southern shore of the Great Sea. Michael was able to maneuver the Enterprise into the harbor without destroying anything. Thankful to get back on land, the Light Warriors got off their ship and headed toward ElfLand castle to fight whatever evil they might be having trouble with.  
  
When the group arrived, though, it appeared that they were late. The castle looked like it had taken severe damage from some recent attack. There was little damage to the rock walls, but all the ElfLand banners were tore, ripped, burnt, or bloodstained. Here and there, a spot of dried blood was seen on the castle walls. An elfin guard, with the pointy ears that distinguished elves from humans, stopped the Light Warriors and asked if they wanted an audience with the Minister of ElfLand. Michael wondered what going on, because ElfLand was supposedly a monarchy. Had a revolution taken place? Still, Michael accepted the offer and the green-clad guard led them to the royal chamber.  
  
Whatever the Light Warriors expected, this wasn't it. An old man sat on a chair beside a young man lying asleep in a bed. Where was the ruler of ElfLand? Suddenly, the guard spoke up and said, "Minister Aureus, we have four visitors here to see you."  
  
"What is your business with us, humans?" asked the one called Minister Aureus.  
  
Michael responded, "We are the Light Warriors. We are here to help any way we can."  
  
Minister Aureus quickly stood up from his seat. "Our prayers have been answered! Please, Light Warriors, listen to me. ElfLand is in dire need of your help."  
  
"As you can see, there has been a battle recently. The Dark Elves attacked our castle, and we tried to drive them back. We managed to overwhelm them by sheer numbers, but that didn't make the battle any easier."  
  
"Astos, king of the Dark Elves, managed to break through our defenses with his magic and even invade this royal chamber. Here, he placed the curse of eternal sleep on Prince Silras, who is lying in bed right here, still asleep. After he put our beloved prince to sleep, he teleported to safety, leaving his own forces to be defeated."  
  
"Though we won the battle, Astos is winning the war. If the prince doesn't awaken, Astos is next in line for the throne because he is the prince's closest living relative, as sad as that they be. We need you to find something to reawaken the prince."  
  
Michael took up the challenge. "Yes, sir. On our honor, we will find a way to wake up the prince and save ElfLand." The Light Warriors left them chamber, then went to ElfLand Town to get prepared for a journey to wherever they needed to go.  
  
ElfLand was certainly a peaceful town, built in a natural clearing in the woods. Cadoc was waiting outside while everyone else was buying new magic or weapons. As Cadoc was waiting around admiring the scenery, he saw a man in a blue-green tunic, obviously a human, walking around and strumming away at his harp. Cadoc walked up and asked, "Sir, may I ask what you're doing?"  
  
"Oh, hello. My name is Gabir. I'm practicing my skills as a bard so that I can use them soon in battle."  
  
"Why would you, a bard, be fighting in a battle?  
  
"Because I, Gabir, am one of the Sun Warriors."  
  
Just then, three more people walked out of the weapon shop. A man wearing bright green robes, similar to Aiko's or Logan's, walked out first, followed by a thin, brown-haired young man in leather armor and an older man with white hair wearing a red cape and a red hat. The three converged with Gabir, forming a nice little group of four. The green-robed man stepped toward Cadoc and offered a hand of friendship. The two shook hands, although Cadoc wondered what was going on.  
  
The green-robed stranger started speaking. "We four are the Sun Warriors, destined to save the world from evil. The four of us will defeat the Four Fiends and bring light back into the world. Who might you be?"  
  
Michael walked up beside Cadoc and spoke to the stranger. "What are these Sun Warriors you speak of? We happen to be..."  
  
Somehow, right on cue, Aiko and Logan walked up behind Michael and Cadoc, forming the complete group of the Light Warriors.  
  
"The Light Warriors!"  
  
"You lie!" rebutted the man clothed in green. "I, Ramesh, was charged with protecting the world by the Sage Terach. The Sun Warriors are the only hope of the world. The Light Warriors are nothing more than a myth. All of you are obviously frauds."  
  
Michael got pulled out the dull Orb from inside his armor, and the other three Light Warriors did likewise. The orbs shone faintly in the sunlight. Ramesh got a strange look of anger on his face, then began to lose his temper.  
  
"Those must be fakes! The Sun Warriors must vanquish you frauds! The names of Ramesh the mighty summoner, Alan the great red mage, Jacob the honorable thief, and Gabir the fearless bard will be known throughout the ages. You are nothing."  
  
Logan tried to smooth this situation over before Michael or Cadoc simply killed this idiot trying to make them out to be liars. "Honorable Ramesh, we are indeed the Light Warriors, whether you believe us or not."  
  
"Then let us have a duel to decide who the true Warriors are. Right now."  
  
The citizens of ElfLand who were watching this confrontation quickly ran inside and locked their doors. Their town was getting ready to become a battlefield. Most of them still gathered around the windows to watch, for it is against the laws of physics for things like stray arrows to go through windows and hit curious onlookers.  
  
"Gabir, go!"  
  
Gabir leaped straight at the Light Warriors, his dagger aimed for Aiko. Aiko pulled out his new silver knife and dodged as quickly as he could out of the way. Gabir landed on the ground rather hard, and his dagger's blade was driven all the way into the soil. Gabir then took his harp and began to sing and softly play the chords of some melody. The Light Warriors began to feel some feelings of peace and calm come over them, and they began to get a little sleepy. Aiko, recognizing the spell-like effects of the music, took his silver knife and slashed the strings of the harp, freeing the warriors from this weak magical spell. Michael took his sword and smacked Gabir with the flat of the blade, not intending to kill him. This knocked Gabir unconscious. He looked as if he were dead, but he was still breathing.  
  
"Ramesh, shall I cure him?" inquired the red mage Alan.  
  
"No, save your magic. I think this calls for evasive action."  
  
"Fog!" At Alan's word, a cloud of white mist encompassed the three standing Sun Warriors. "Ruse!" The Sun Warrior's images started to blur, making them impossible to target even if the fog wasn't there. What were the Sun Warriors doing?  
  
"Now, we flee!" yelled Ramesh at his allies.  
  
"What about Gabir?" asked the thief.  
  
"Forget about him! You Light Warriors may have the upper hand now, but we'll live to fight another day!"  
  
The four watched, weakened, as the three Sun Warriors ran off. Their immediate concern, though, was the life of this stupid bard who now lay half-dead on the ground. Logan left him with the local church, who promised to have him revived completely in a day or two. Now that the Sun Warriors were out of the picture, they could continue their adventure.  
  
Then the heroes left on their journey, deciding to go to Northeast Castle, a strange place the villagers of ElfLand spoke of as being mysterious. This seemed like a good place to find something to wake a sleeping prince. So of they started into the eastern wilderness, on yet another quest to save helpless royalty.  
  
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"You spoony bard!"  
- Tellah, FFIV 


	9. Marsh Cave

The warriors had to put up with constant attacks of gray wolves, ogres, and giant spiders in their walk through the woods, but they finally came to what must be Northeast Castle. It was an impressive castle, just as Coneria and ElfLand had, but it seemed to be deserted. When the Light Warriors entered, there suspicions were confirmed. The entire castle was deserted except for the odd bat here and there. What had happened here? The warriors wandered around the castle a bit until they found the throne room, which they entered.  
  
Inside the chamber, sitting on the throne, was a man dressed in royal robes of maroon and emerald green. He was staring straight ahead at the Light Warriors. He stood and addressed the visitors as formally as he could.  
  
"Greeting, noble travelers. I am King Taoso. As you can see, my kingdom was devastated and I am the only survivor. I ask your help in restoring my kingdom. A magical crown was hidden in the Marsh Caves to the south. If you find it and return it to me, all four of you will be handsomely rewarded."  
  
Once again, Michael took another quest upon the Light Warriors. "On our honor, we will find the Crown and return it to you." The warriors left the castle and began heading for the Marsh Caves, and it would take another good three days walking just to get there. The journey would be difficult enough without monsters to worry about, but the giants and gray wolves along the path just made an already tough route nearly impossible. Three long days later, the group finally arrived at the Marsh Cave.  
  
As soon as Michael led the group into the cave and fought off a small swarm of scorpions seemingly waiting in ambush for them, everyone started to see why conquering dungeons was a great feat to be accomplished only by heroes. On the field, one may run across an occasional monster every few hours, but dungeon crawling involved having to deal with attackers every other minutes. Fortunately for the Light Warriors, these skeletons and zombies were easily rekilled after a few well-placed sword or fist blows, and turned to dust by fire or holy magic. Still, this was no easy task. By the time the group had gotten anywhere near the crown, they had cut their way through more slimes, shadows, and undead than they cared to count.  
  
Before the group lay a long corridor full of doors. A message carved in the stone said the crown lay behind one of the doors. Seeing no other way, they decided to check each door one by one. The room was empty, the second held a treasure chest containing a potion.  
  
"A potion?!" said Cadoc, expecting some greater reward for all the sweat and blood he spent getting this far in the dungeon. "What insane person would go to the trouble to hide a stupid bottle of medicine in a treasure chest two miles underground?"  
  
The next two doors held nothing as well. When Logan opened the next door down the row, she was surprised to see a huge wolf barreling out of the door straight at her. It knocked her over before Michael drove his silver sword through its head. Logan brushed herself off, thanked Michael, then slowly opened the door on the opposite side of the corridor.  
  
As the door slowly opened, the warriors beheld a sparkling crown, made of the finest gold and gems, sitting on a pedestal in the back of the room. Cadoc moved forward to grab it, but when he was a few steps from the crown, three strange creatures in white and gold robes appeared. They were most likely human, but their faces were obscure by wooden masks, making it impossible to tell one way or the other.  
  
"Who dares disturb my treasure?" asked the one who was in front. "I think I should show these puny surface dwellers who's boss!"  
  
The rest of the warriors rushed to Cadoc's defense. Two of the wizards shot spells at Cadoc which made him feel kind of dizzy. The other wizard sent up more smoke, making it harder to see to target them. Aiko wasn't about to let some other wizard make a fool of him in combat. He conjured the most powerful lighting bolt he could and shot it straight at one of the wizards. The targeted wizard shuttered, then collapsed.  
  
Michael took a stab at one of the standing wizards. He missed, and the wizard wacked him upside the head with his staff. Cadoc, meanwhile, delivered two roundhouse blows to the other wizard, making him see stars. The dazed wizard shot a flurry of ice crystals at one of the three Cadocs he saw, but it passed straight through him and hit Michael, putting him in even worse shape than before.  
  
Aiko used the last of his magical energy to fire off one more weak bolt of electricity at one of the wizards, which was enough to knock him flat. Michael, still reeling from the blow he just took to the head, took a wild swing at the last wizard, which somehow managed to connect and split the wooden mask in two, killing him instantly. Logan cast a weak healing spell on Michael, then picked up the crown they had came for in the first place and tucked it inside her robe.  
  
On the way out, the monsters kept their distance for the most part, seemingly afraid of the people who slaughtered the mighty wizards. Them, as everyone neared the exit of the cave and daylight could be seen in the distance, Aiko caught something out the corner of his eye. A huge scorpion, at least a foot long, was latched onto the roof of the cave above Logan's head. Obviously, nobody else could see it, and, suddenly, it let go.  
  
At that moment, Aiko's vision changed. He was no longer in a cave, but back in his hometown eight years ago. Logan was replaced by Aiko's older sister, and a black-caped form fell from the sky towards poor Hikari. Without thinking, Aiko rushed at her as fast as he could and knocked her out of harm's way. Aiko felt the pain as a dagger slashed his back, then spun around to face his attacker. He kept stabbing the evil figure with his shining silver knife until finally it collapsed. Aiko turned around and hugged his sister, when finally reality came back into focus.  
  
He was back in the cave. His arms were wrapped tight around Logan, as Michael and Cadoc stood watching with their eyes wide open. A scorpion lay dead on the ground. Aiko's mind took a few seconds to process what actually just happened, then he awkwardly removed his arms from around Logan.  
  
"What in the world just happened?" asked Cadoc finally.  
  
"I... saw that scorpion about to attack Logan and.. I had to save him."  
  
"What did you just hug me for?" Logan inquired.  
  
"I was... happy you were all right."  
  
Michael knew something wasn't right, but he decided he had to let it go. Who knew what type of madness lurked in the mind of a black mage. Cadoc didn't see why Aiko would suddenly risk his own hide to save someone, but he too reasoned insanity was just part of who Aiko was.  
  
Logan was even more disturbed. Why did an uncaring black mage risk injury to save her? On top of that, why didn't he just stay cool and fry the scorpion with a fireball or something? And when he saved her, why did he embrace her? Why?  
  
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"You don't need a reason to help people."  
- Zidane, FFIX 


	10. Crowns and Crystals

Again the four Light Warriors strolled into the eerie Northwest Castle to meet King Taoso. Logan removed the crown from inside her robe and handed it to Michael. As Michael led the four into the throne room, the king's eyes glittered when he saw the crown. Michael walked up, bowed before the king, and presented the crown to him.  
  
"We have returned with the crown, Your Majesty."  
  
"Good job. Let me give you your reward!" Taoso pulled a small, clear crystal out of his pocket. "Now that I have both the crystal and the crown, I will become all-powerful!"  
  
The king's human features slowly changed to elfin before the warriors' very eyes, his ears elongating and coming to a point. Then, his skin faded to a sickening blue-gray as his flesh seemed to shrink away, leaving only wrinkled skin and bones. What was this beast?  
  
"I am Astos, the Dark Elf! You fools did my dirty work for me!" the creature that called itself Astos cackled. "Allow me to thank you!" Michael ducked as a scimitar swung over his head. Astos tried again to lob Michael's head off, but the warrior was able to parry the blow with his own broadsword. Michael thrust for the dark elf's chest, but Astos quickly dodged to the right. The broadsword, however, made a terrible slice into Astos's left arm.  
  
"A flesh wound!" screeched the evil elf in pain. "Time to stop playing around with you idiots!" Suddenly, Cadoc saw Astos's scimitar spinning through the air straight toward him. Cadoc dodged the blade, while a fireball formed in Aiko's hands and flew back at Astos. The blazes barely seemed to phase him as he cast his next spell.  
  
"Rub!"  
  
Michael flashed purple for a second, then fell over unconscious. Logan dashed into the battle in order to help her downed comrade. She quickly took a life potion from her robe and poured it into Michael's mouth. His eyes opened, but he still lay flat on the stone floor in a weakened state. As she began to chant a healing spell, she nodded at the others to carry on the battle.  
  
Aiko shot a lightning bolt at Astos. The dark elf was knocked up against the wall, where he retaliated with an lightning spell of his own. Aiko stumbled over his own black robe trying to jump out of the way of the lightning bolt, and the shock hit him in the back with full force. He crumpled to the ground in pain.  
  
Astos began to laugh at the fallen mage when he received a punch in the stomach from Cadoc. The enraged monk then delivered a fierce uppercut, followed by a swift kick and a few well-placed jabs to head. Astos started wobbling back and forth when Cadoc reared back and socked the elf in the face as hard as he possibly could, knocking him against the stone wall and cracking his skull.  
  
Michael got back to his feet, helping up the stunned Aiko up as well. Looking over the body of the fallen demon, Michael spotted a clear crystal. He pocketed it, along with crown they worked so hard to retrieve for this false monarch.  
  
"Guys, we can't do anything else here. Let's head back to ElfLand."  
  
That night, every sat awake around the campfire, thinking about the events of the past few days.  
  
"We were used," mused Cadoc as took to removing the bandages from a nasty wolf bite a few days ago. "That Dark Elf got us to do his bidding."  
  
"But we thought..." began Michael.  
  
"I know we thought he was really in need of our help. And because heroes always help out people who say they need it, they get used."  
  
"Isn't our destiny to help people?" asked Logan, wondering what Cadoc was getting at.  
  
"I'm just saying we should be careful who we trust. We need to be finding out how to revive the orbs, not playing hero."  
  
"Maybe if we just go along with fate and fight evil, we'll figure out how to relight the orbs along the way," suggested Logan.  
  
"You can talk philosophy all you want, I'm going to sleep."  
  
After Michael and Cadoc drifted off, Logan couldn't help but look at Aiko, who was staring at his spellbook as if it were some holy text. Did she dare ask him why he saved her? There were so many things that didn't make any sense. Finally, she decided to ask.  
  
"Aiko, back in the cave, why did you save me like that?"  
  
Aiko shut the book and adjusted his hat. "I had to. I couldn't just let one of the people I'm traveling with die."  
  
"Why didn't you just use magic?"  
  
Aiko paused for a second. "I don't know. My instinct was to protect you, and I wasn't thinking about magic at the time." He looked at Logan. She seemed to that believe that. After all, it was the truth to a certain extent.  
  
"So, Aiko," Logan continued, "you haven't told us anything about yourself."  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"Where are you from? Why did you become a black mage?"  
  
Aiko never wanted to hear those questions again. "Why does it matter?" he managed.  
  
"It's just strange you keep so many secrets from us."  
  
"We all have our secrets, don't we?"  
  
Logan winced. "I suppose so. Anyway, would you like to know a little about me?"  
  
"Who's stopping you?"  
  
"Okay. There's really nothing much to say. At birth, my parents gave me to the church to raise."  
  
"You never knew your parents?"  
  
"No. I was raised by the church. When I turned fifteen, I decided I wanted to be a healer, so the high priest began teaching me the art of white magic. Any school of magic takes years to learn, so six years later, I'm fairly competent at white magic. Anyway, a few weeks before I left I started having these intense longings to leave on a journey. Brother Mark had enough foresight to see I was one of the Light Warriors convinced me to go on this quest."  
  
"I see... thank you for the story."  
  
"Oh, Aiko, one last thing. Could you... take off your hat? All this time I've been wanting to see your face."  
  
"Will you take that hood off your head?"  
  
Logan didn't say anything. If she removed her hood, her long beautiful hair would give her away. Her face and soft voice were bad enough, but then Aiko would see enough to finally realize she was of the feminine gender. She had to find a way out of this.  
  
Aiko spoke first. "I see. I'll just let you owe me another favor."  
  
Aiko took off his steepled mage's hat. His face was quite possibly the most beautiful thing Logan had ever seen. His dark brown hair, his skin tone... Every feature seemed as it should belong to some heavenly archangel. His eyes were a different story. Something about his dark brown eyes didn't match the rest of his emotionless face. Aiko put the hat back on after a few seconds, again shrouding his face in darkness.  
  
Two days later, the warriors arrived in ElfLand again, and were met at the gate of the castle by Minister Aureus. "Warriors! Our scholars have found what will reawaken the prince! The only thing that could save him from Astos's curse is a plant called the sylvan herb. If you could only find a sylvan herb, we would be eternally grateful."  
  
"We shall return with the herb, sir."  
  
It was back to the town to find out where one of these herbs might be. By sheer luck, the little old man in the potion shop knew his crazy old sister Matoya, who lived in a cave on the far north end of the continent, grew the herbs because she liked the taste of them. Everyone sighed. They knew where the herbs were now , but it looked like another good week's worth of walking and fighting was in the works before they could get their hands on one.  
  
As the Light Warriors left town and headed toward Sylvan Harbor and the waiting Enterprise, Michael took the crystal he got out of his pocket and looked at it. Why in the world did Astos care about this little piece of quartz, and what use could it possibly have?  
  
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"How does it feel to know you've been working for us?"  
- Kefka, FFVI 


	11. Matoya's Cave

It took the Light Warriors a week to reach Matoya's Cave. Along the way, they dealt with quite a few monsters. However, these beasts roaming the countryside became more of a nuisance than a threat. Countless miles spent walking and constant fighting resulted in the four becoming more muscular and tougher all around physically. Aiko and Logan quickly advanced in their spellcasting abilities as well: performing the gestures for the spells a bit faster, saying the mystic words of the spell a little more clearly, learning where to focus a spell for the maximum effect, all of which added up to more powerful magic.  
  
Michael the first step into the dark cavern the witch Matoya supposedly called home. As soon as Michael's eyes began to adjust to the darkness, a strange form appeared directly in front of him. Michael unsheathed his longsword, and stood poised to lunge at his attacker, with the three behind him following suit. As Michael's vision continued to adjust, he saw that the thing standing free in front of him was a broom.  
  
"Tceles b hsup!" said the broom. Michael's eyes blinked several times.  
  
"Did that broom just talked?" asked Logan suspiciously.  
  
The broom walked off, using the broomtail as two legs. It returned with another broom waddling beside it. "Su wollof," said one of the brooms. The brooms starting moving deeper into the cave, and the warriors, still shocked and lacking better ideas, followed them.  
  
The brooms led the slightly perplexed humans onward. The light streaming in from the cave's entrance faded to where all the warriors could see were faint outlines. The two broom silhouettes suddenly stopped, then stood facing each other, with a two foot gap between them. Michael tried to walk between them, and he soon discovered the two brooms were flanking a wooden door. Michael opened the door, and saw the chamber within.  
  
The room was certainly bizarre. Arranged around the room were several torches burning brightly. It was apparent someone lived here, for around the room sat various pieces of furniture. An antique dresser sat up against a rock wall, a bed lay in one corner of the cavern, and there sat two old trunks in the floor of the room. In the center of the room was a table, and at the table sat an elderly woman in a moth-eaten maroon dress and steepled hat. Was this the witch Matoya?  
  
"Who is that I hear?" asked the old woman in a scratchy voice. "Who trespasses in my cave?"  
  
"We just want one of your herbs," said Logan quickly. "It's very important!"  
  
"Well," said the old witch shrilly, "you can't have none!"  
  
Michael pulled a bag of gold coins out of his belt. "How many gold pieces do you want for one of your herbs?"  
  
"I don't want gold, no," the witch said. "All I want is my crystal back."  
  
"Your crystal?" asked Michael as he pulled the crystal won from Astos out of his pocket.  
  
The witch shook her wrinkled fist in anger. "Yes. That naughty elf Astos stole it. He came here and swipes it from me. 'Give it back' says I, 'or I turn you into a newt!' Then he gets away before I can curse him. Without my crystal, I can't see the hand in front of my face!"  
  
"Ma'am?" said Michael, trying to sound respectful to the ranting woman, "We killed him, and got your crystal back."  
  
"You have it?" Matoya stood up. "Bring it to me!"  
  
Michael walked up to Matoya and carefully handed her the crystal. Her eyes, which were before static and staring lazily into space, suddenly focused on Michael.  
  
"I see!" she yelled joyfully. "I see again! Thank you kindly, young man."  
  
Cadoc decided to seize the opportunity to get an herb. "Miss Matoya, can we have one of your herbs?"  
  
"Aye. Which one was it you wanted again?"  
  
"A sylvan herb," said Cadoc plainly. Matoya rummaged through a few baskets behind her until she found a pastel green bulb. "A ha! Here it is!" Matoya handed the herb to Cadoc.  
  
"Do you want anything in return?" Michael asked before he put away his bag of gold pieces.  
  
The witch smiled. "Not much. Just your souls." She saw the warriors weren't doubling over with laughter for some odd reason. "What's wrong? I made a funny! Where's your sense of humor?"  
  
This little comment convinced Michael that Matoya really was psychotic. "Okay. Cadoc, Logan, Aiko, I think it's time to go. You have our gratitude, Matoya. Thank you."  
  
"Come again for tea sometime!" cackled Matoya as the Light Warriors left here chamber.  
  
"Erau Qssi Dlro Weht!" bid one of the brooms as the four filed past it on their way to the surface.  
  
"Another week..." moaned Cadoc as the warriors walked away from Matoya's Cave. "Why are we doing this? Are we just a bunch of errand boys? Don't you think that maybe, just maybe, the elves could have sent somebody to fetch this herb themselves?"  
  
"Cadoc," soothed Logan as the group walked along, "you do have a point, but we need to help the prince first. We'll think in ElfLand of something before we go wandering off again."  
  
As the group made their way through the dense forest to the east of Provaka, Michael spotted something in a clearing in the woods. Quickly telling the others to quiet down, he moved as stealthily as he could to observe the goings on in the clearing.  
  
Milling about in the clearing was a mass of imps, maybe twenty or thirty. That wasn't right; imps never grouped together like this. This many imps in one place simply couldn't be a coincidence. Michael relayed to the others what he saw, and decided for them it would be best to move on.  
  
Nothing else of note occurred on the way back to ElfLand. Once they did arrive in ElfLand, things began moving quickly. As soon as the Warriors stepped foot in ElfLand castle, Minster Aureus greeted them and inquired about the herb. Cadoc handed it over, and Aureus quickly concocted a potion to cure the sleeping prince.  
  
The Light Warriors walked into the royal chamber, to see the young prince lying awake in bed. He motioned for the Light Warriors to come closer. "Light Warriors? I must thank you."  
  
The frail prince sat up in bed. "Shining Ones, how goes your quest to restore the Orbs of Power?" he inquired, looking Logan straight in the eye.  
  
"Not too well, Your Grace," said Logan with a hint of shame in her voice. "We do not yet know how to revive the orbs..."  
  
"So you are completely in the dark?" asked Prince Silras as he stood from his bed. With the aid of Cadoc and Minster Aureus, he limped over to his desk and picked up a heavy dust-covered tome. The prince opened the book. "Perhaps what I learned from my tutor Sage Gunnar will help you."  
  
"Two millennia ago," began the monarch, "the world was on the verge of destruction. Four evil fiends threatened the world with destruction. In a last desperate move, a confederation of warlocks met in secret. Combining their powers, the wizards took four gray orbs, your orbs, and infused them with all the power of the elementals they could extract from nature. The warlocks prepared to use these mighty weapons to seal away the evil. However, before they could do so, the fiends disappeared."  
  
"Disappeared?" said Cadoc with disbelief. "Things don't just disappear."  
  
Prince Silras nodded his head. "At any rate, the fiends vanished from the map of the world. Then, four hundred years ago, the four fiends suddenly reappeared. The power of the orbs had slowly ebbed away to nothing over the years, and the only hope of the world is an ancient prophecy: when the world is in darkness, four warriors will come, each holding an orb."  
  
"You must restore the Orbs' power. In this world, there are four shrines: the shrines of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. You must take each Orb to its shrine, where it will be revived to its former glory."  
  
"And the fiends?" asked Logan. "What must we do about them?"  
  
Silras sighed. "You will have to kill them. In theory, you could seal them away once all four Orbs are activated. However, they are using the shrines as their bases. They will not let you revive the Orbs without a fight."  
  
Michael kneeled to the prince, thanking him for the information. Now more than ever, he was sure he and his companions were up against more than they could ever handle. How could four human beings defeat ancient demons that even the world's mightiest wizards can't destroy?  
  
"Before you go," the elven prince mentioned as the warriors turned toward the exit, "I have something for you." Prince Silras opened a drawer in the bottom of the desk and pulled out a small box wooden box that fit in the palm of his hand. He opened it, and took out a badly tarnished silver key. "This is the key to the treasury at Coneria Castle. I'm sure it will be of use."  
  
Michael accepted the key, and slipped it in his pocket. "Your Grace, if you don't mind my asking, why do you have the key?"  
  
The young prince smiled. "Four hundred years ago, the king of Coneria gave it to my great-great-grandfather King Sabeus for safekeeping. I trust you will use it well. Go, Light Warriors, and revive the power of the orbs!"  
  
That evening, the Light Warriors set sail on the Enterprise once again. Having no better destination, they made for Coneria. Perhaps there, they could find out where these shrines were located. Maybe then, just maybe, they could have a shot at saving the world.  
  
Cadoc stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the fiery sunset. He had seldom paid attention to such things before, but for some reason this phenomenon of nature that occurs every day stuck him as beautiful. No, maybe beautiful isn't the right word. It was...  
  
Cadoc only half-noticed as the white mage stepped beside him. "Watching the sunset?" she asked him, not taking her eyes off the eerie red glow in the west.  
  
"Yeah," he answered. "It's strange, isn't it? The sun behind the mountains, it's like they're on fire."  
  
Logan kept gazing at the sun. "It's unsettling."  
  
Cadoc turned his head toward Logan. "I'm going to go pray. I don't see any other way we can live through this journey."  
  
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"This should be fun. When do we leave?"  
- Gogo, FFVI 


	12. Coneria's Defenders

For a third time, the Light Warriors approached the majestic Coneria Castle. The guards greeted the returning heroes, but Michael quickly asked for an audience with the king. Within minutes, the four again stood before King Daniel and Queen Jane. Michael presented them the key to the Conerian treasury, unopened for four centuries. The king offered them anything they wanted from the treasury and ordered the captain of the guard to lead them there.  
  
Cadoc opened the door. A cloud of dust appeared, then quickly settled, revealing the treasury was actually an armory. Most of the weapons and armor were decorative: glimmering golden swords, plate mail of shining silver, pikes with intricate glass tips, and such like that would be more of a liability than an asset in battle. Resisting the temptation to rob the friendly treasury blind, Michael kept a few silverish weapons and pieces of armor that he recognized as mythril, one of hardest metals in the world.  
  
Aiko looked around the room as well, trying to find magical artifacts he could make use of. In a decaying wooden box, Aiko saw a strange black powder. What was that? Thinking back to the basic alchemy Alister taught him, Aiko recognized it. The name of the substance didn't occur to him, but the black mage knew it was a powerful explosive. Aiko took an empty potion beaker, filled it with powder, and stored the beaker inside his robes.  
  
The noble warriors left the dungeon and headed toward the castle's exit. However, as they left the castle, they ran into two people they never wanted to see again. In the entranceway of the castle stood a man garbed in a feathered red cap and faded maroon cloak. Beside him stood one dressed in a simple leather tunic. Alan the red mage and Jacob the thief of the Sun Warriors were back.  
  
"Well, it looks like the Light Warriors are still around," said the thief as duo was approached by the Light Warriors. "If it's okay with you, I would rather not fight with you," Jacob said as he noticed Michael going for his sword.  
  
Cadoc was suspicious. These people were trying to kill them when they met in ElfLand, but now they decide they want to be friends? Something wasn't right here.  
  
"Where's your leader?" asked Logan. "The summoner?"  
  
The red mage nodded. "Ramesh? He's resting in the inn in town." Alan bowed his head. "You must forgive us for our actions in ElfLand. Our leader Ramesh is..."  
  
"An idiot," finished the thief. "But he is a mighty summoner. We need him."  
  
"You don't seriously think he can save the world?" Michael asked with disbelief.  
  
"We'll leave that to you Light Warriors," Alan answered, looking back at Michael. "We have our own quests. I think it best that we depart as allies."  
  
At that moment, a group of soldiers ran past the six warriors. "What's wrong?" asked Cadoc to one of the hurried soldiers.  
  
The solder, short of breath, gasped out a few words. "Attack... Monsters...Toward Coneria..."  
  
"We have to get to the king's room!" Logan yelled, running after the soldiers. The others Light Warriors, along with Alan and Jacob, followed her. The six rushed through corridors and up stone staircases until they reached the regal chamber.  
  
"What?!" yelled King Daniel. "Light Warriors! Come with me!" The king, with the warriors behind him, hurried up a flight of stairs in the royal chamber to the top of the battlements.  
  
"It's over," said the ruler with despair. He gazed at the huge army advancing against the castle. Ogres and hundreds upon hundreds of imps marched relentlessly toward Coneria. "There's no hope."  
  
"Your Majesty!" implored Cadoc. "You have to stand up against them!"  
  
"Why? The Conerian army barely numbers a hundred. What chance do we stand?"  
  
"What do you have to gain my surrendering?" asked Aiko coldly. "These are monsters. They don't negotiate. They won't accept a surrender or respect a white flag. They kill."  
  
King Daniel raised his head. "It may be hopeless, but we can't give up." He turned to his aide. "Deploy the cavalry and the light infantry to meet the attack. Keep the heavy infantry inside the town as a last line of defense."  
  
"We shall fight as well!" volunteered Michael.  
  
The king turned again to face the warriors. "You will not go onto the battlefield. Coneria needs you six as a last defense."  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Cadoc.  
  
Alan called to the king and his aide as the two made their way to the stairs. "In the inn in town there's a man in green robes named Ramesh. Ask him to help you."  
  
"It's time," Michael uttered as he sheathed his sword. "I will fight beside the soldiers in the city."  
  
"As will I," joined Logan.  
  
"I'll do what I can," Jacob offered.  
  
"We can't leave the castle undefended," pointed out the red mage. "The rest of us should stay in the castle." Cadoc and Aiko agreed to stay with him, and the six parted ways.  
  
From the top of the castle's tower Cadoc, Aiko, and Alan watched as the battle began. Columns of red and gold marched forward against the endless hoards of monsters. The Conerian forces, though they may have been courageous and well-trained, were obviously outnumbered.  
  
Without warning, the earth beneath the enemy army split open. In a matter of seconds, a gigantic rift tore open the ground, and a hundred imps plummeted to their deaths in the magma below.  
  
From the pit rose a hideous creature; half-man, half-beast. The horrible thing had dark red skin the color of blood and fiery red hair. It had the body of man except for the claw-like hands and feet, but a beastly head, more fitting a wolf than anything else, and curved black horns protruding from the top. What was this demon?  
  
"Ifrit," whispered Aiko. "Ramesh has unleashed Ifrit..."  
  
"We must get inside!" yelled Alan. "Ramesh's summons are not to be reckoned with!"  
  
Michael watched from his vantage point atop the city walls as Ifrit began the attack. From the flames below rose a giant sphere of molten rock. Ifrit rose into the sky, taking the burning globe with it. Ifrit summoned flames from all around him, then slammed the molten rock toward the ground. The fireball landed in the middle of the enemy ranks, incinerating many upon impact and sending out flames that scorched many more.  
  
Cadoc, Aiko, and Alan walked through the corridors of the castle. Aiko noticed something strange as they passed through a section lit only by torches. Small wisps of energy began gathering in one place. Within seconds, the mass of energy formed an errie smoke-colored portal in the air. From this portal stepped something strange. It was covered entirely in pale gray robes, not a bit flesh showing. Before the form could react, Aiko hurled a blast of fire its way, reducing it to cinders.  
  
"What's going on?" demanded Cadoc.  
  
Aiko whirled around to see another gray portal appearing. "An invasion," said the mage coldly. "The enemy lured all the guards out of the castle, then sent their mages directly inside..."  
  
"We have to do something!" urged Alan, looking at Aiko.  
  
Aiko tried to think of something, but he couldn't concentrate. Invasion... He shook his head. "Cadoc... go help the royal family. Alan... come with me. We have to kill as many of them as we can." Cadoc saluted him, then ran toward the throne room.  
  
Aiko and Alan charged the nearest gray mage. The figure sent a bolt of lightning at Aiko. He quickly dodged it, and responded by sending a flurry of ice a the enemy. The shards struck the gray-robed wizard, paralyzing it with cold. Alan took his sword and sliced his target longways across the stomach. It slumped over, lifeless.  
  
The two mages fought their way through the second floor of castle, slaying all the pale-robed figures that dared appear. Aiko blocked everything else from his mind, concentrating his entire being into sending streams of fire, ice, or lighting at anything in gray robes. Alan did triple duty, wielding a longsword in his left hand and using his right hand for black and white magic spells.  
  
Trance-like, Aiko sent a gray figure beside him up into flames. The red mage fired a spark of lightning into one figure as he decapitated another. Before the two, the gray wizards fell in masses, but they were vastly outnumbered and began to tire. Finally, the gray troops completely encircled Aiko and Alan. The two put their backs to each other.  
  
"Aiko!" yelled Alan. "We're surrounded! Now what?" Aiko said nothing.  
  
The enemy mages at the front of the horde all released storms of ice at their two targets in the center. Aiko yelled a fire spell and a stream of fire shot from Aiko's hands. The heat neutralized the ice, and the black mage began using his hands to control the blaze. At the black mage's gesture, the jet of flames formed itself into a ring around Logan and Alan. Aiko slammed his hands together, and the flames shot outward, lighting the robes out the enemy around them aflame.  
  
"Finish them off," panted Aiko, his magic too depleted for him to do anything. Aiko looked over his defeated foes as he waited for Alan to destroy. Suddenly, one of the gray wizards stood to their feet. It looked straight at Aiko, and let loose a lightning blot straight at his forehead, and Aiko could remember no more.  
  
Cadoc fought his way through the gray cloaked ones, using his fists to deliver lethal blows before they could target him. He only hoped that the royalty decided to hide in Princess Sara's room, where he was headed. If not, he didn't know if he could fight his way through to wherever they were.  
  
In Princess Sara's room, King Daniel stood firm against the gray wizard in front of him. "I do not care if I die. You are not touching my daughter!" The monarch grabbed a sword off the wall: Coneria's Scepter, the ancient katana of the royal family. King Daniel, relying on what bit of fencing he knew, charged the gray being. Just before the katana sliced the figure in two, a diamond of ice struck King Daniel in two. The king fell backwards, and the katana flew out his hands, landing at the feet of Princess Sara.  
  
Sara, out of anger or desperation, picked the blade up off the ground. Awkwardly holding the katana with both hands, the princess took a battle stance against the enemy wizard. Perhaps it was her fate to die, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight.  
  
At that moment, the door of the room burst open. Standing in the doorway was a man that Sara recognized very well. He had dirty blonde hair and a black belt tied around his robes. One of the Light Warriors had arrived.  
  
"Sara! Now!" yelled the monk.  
  
Seizing the opportunity, Sara attacked her distracted opponent. She swung the sword in a wide arc, managing to slash the wizard only in the legs. As it bent over in pain, Cadoc rushed and delivered a few swift uppercuts. The gray from slumped over lifeless.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked the monk.  
  
"I... I'm fine." Sara managed to say. "Thank you," she said, and placed the royal sword back on the wall.  
  
"I didn't know you could use a sword, Princess."  
  
"I can't," she said. "That was just a lucky swing."  
  
Cadoc pulled a healing potion from inside his robe. "Are you injured?"  
  
"No. But my father..."  
  
Cadoc quickly knelt down and gave the king draught of the clear liquid in the vial. King Daniel shook his head, and Cadoc helped him to this feet.  
  
King Daniel bowed his head. "Thank you. I am yet again in your debt."  
  
Outside, a totally different battle raged. From the city gates, Michael watched the chaos. Even with the aid of the terrible Ifrit under Ramesh's control, the Conerians were at a severe disadvantage. Though they were valiant fighters, the sheer numbers of the imps and ogres assaulting them overwhelmed them. Finally, a wave of imps broke the Conerian lines and charged the Gates of Coneria.  
  
"They're coming!" Michael took his mythril sword and readied himself for battle. With him stood the heavy Conerian guards, armed with axes, as well a thief armed with a dagger and a white mage prepared to heal the wounded.  
  
"Get ready!" The wooden gate of Coneria shook violently, then collapsed inward, allowing a horde of imps to pour into the city. Their high-pitched cries were heard throughout the town as the Conerian defenders rushed to meet them.  
  
Michael led the charge into the fray. He attacked the first imp he came to, slashing it twice in the arms before splitting its head open. Two imps leaped at Michael. The first one was impaled in the chest by Michael's sword, and the other was bludgeoned by a shield of mythril and fell unconscious.  
  
Michael slew imp after imp, but he was simply overran. Twenty imps attacked him at once, their daggers piercing his exposed arms and making him yell out in pain. The thief Jacob came to Michael's defense, stabbing the distracted monsters in the back with blinding speed, while a Conerian with a battle axe cleaved in two an imp going for Michael's neck.  
  
Within a few minutes, the carnage was over. Two hundred imps lay in a pool of blood on the streets as well as ten of Coneria's forty troops. The first wave of attackers was destroyed, but how long could the defenders last against this? Logan murmured healing spells, and a wave of green light fell over the defenders, restoring their strength. The next wave of the light healed them fully, and they prepared for the next assault.  
  
A hundred more imps charged through the city gates, backed by company of ogres. Michael charged the enemy lines again, hacking one imp's head off, slashing another across the chest, and stabbing the next in the next. Having cut a bloody swathe through the imps, he found himself dealing with ogres.  
  
One of the great gray ogres swung at Michael with its club. Michael rolled out of the way and stabbed the lumbering brute in the chest. The sword drew blood, but the ogre kept moving. A pair of ogres came at Michael from the side aiming to kill him with their bare hands. Michael's reason failed him, and he charged the giants. One fell over when a sword removed half of a leg, but the other slammed both fists into Michael, sending, him tumbling backwards. He lost consciousness as lay sprawled out on the ground.  
  
"Michael! No!" Logan gripped her staff tightly in her hand, and she rushed into the chaos to save the fallen warrior. She made her way as quickly as possibly through the carnage and blood of the battlefield. When an imp tried to attack her, she swung the staff with all her strength, killing it with a single blow to the head.  
  
Finally, Logan reached her fallen friend. She knelt down to help him, and saw looming over her an ogre, ready to kill her as well. Her staff was of no use against this monster. Thinking quickly, she cast a spell.  
  
"Harm!"  
  
The ogre was not undead, so the spell of course could not kill it. However, the white light of the spell went straight into the ogre's eyes, temporarily blinding it. As it stumbled backwards, Logan began pulling the wounded Michael to safety.  
  
"Cure!"  
  
Michael's eyes opened. "Logan?"  
  
"Michael! Can you walk?"  
  
Michael rose of his own power, and began walking as quickly as could in his still-injured state away from the ogres with Logan toward the center of the town.  
  
"Pull back, you fools!" came a loud, desperate voice from well behind the lines. Michael glimpsed the summoner Ramesh standing on the roof of a house, his green robe blowing in the wind and arms raised heavenwards, commanding Ifrit. The Conerians still battling the ogres obeyed and dashed to the center of the town.  
  
Over the city hung the bestial Ifrit, a terrible sight to behold. It opened its mouth and a stream of flame came forth, coming down on the ogres from above. The monsters were simply incinerated, leaving only ashes after the flames dissipated.  
  
Another group of imps and ogres set on destruction poured into the city. Imps with lit torches began tossing them into houses, sending all that inside up in blazes. Ogres simply bashed the stone houses in, destroying them and anything or anyone inside.  
  
Ifrit summoned a fireball and knocked it toward a group of ogres. The bubbling ball of rock and magma hit the ground, destroying the ogres and leaving only a crater where a house should have been.  
  
Unopposed, Ifrit slaughtered the enemy. Dead bodies of imps and ogres, lay on the streets of Coneria. The twelve remaining defenders of Coneria watched in horror as Ifrit descended, and stood its two feet to slay the last of the ogres. An ogre rammed its club into Ifrit's chest, which barely seemed to affect the terrible thing. The beast respond by grabbing the ogres with both claws and simply ripping the ogre in two. Ifrit turned and felled two at one with swipes from both claws. The final ogre was burned in an instant with a blast of fire from the mouth of the beast.  
  
Ramesh stumbled. He threw down his arms and hung his head. Ifrit hovered over the pit from where it came. The demon lowered itself back down into the molten liquid, and the rift closed. The green-clad mage then collapsed.  
  
Michael, Cadoc, Logan, Aiko, Alan, and Jacob knelt before King Daniel. "So, though Coneria has suffered great losses, it is due to you that we have survived. In the name of Coneria, I confer upon all of thee the title of knight."  
  
Sir Michael looked up. "Your Majesty, I don't deserve this title. The one who saved the town was Ramesh and the monster he summoned."  
  
King Daniel put his hand on his chin. "Yes, he is truly the one to thank for our lives. But all you, you fought valiantly for a city that isn't even your own. Coneria owes much to you warriors." The warriors rose to their feet. "Do as you please. Feel free to rest here as long as you like."  
  
Michael saw Cadoc sitting on the ground in the courtyard of the castle cross-legged. "Deep in the thought, are you Cadoc?" asked Michael as he walked past.  
  
Cadoc stood up. "I was doing some thinking, yes. I was thinking about our quest. Come with me."  
  
Michael followed Cadoc into Coneria City, and he took a look at the town. Many places where houses once stood only white chunks of rubble remained. People walked back and forth in the town, some now without a home and some now without a family. In the center of town, a white-haired priest led the prayers for the fallen Conerian soldiers as their families gathered to pay their last respects. The once-green grass of the town was now scorched brown by the fire of Ifrit, and the sky taking on the reddish hue of evening made the whole town seem ruined.  
  
Michael turned away. "It's horrible. The Fiends, we have to make them pay."  
  
Cadoc nodded slowly. "Yes, this is terrible. It's our job as Light Warriors to keep this from ever happening again. We have to go kill the Fiends now."  
  
Michael looked at Cadoc in shock. "Now? We were barely able to defend Coneria, and that's with that demon Ramesh controlled on our side."  
  
"That's true," the monk said. "But I don't think we have a choice. If we try to train, that'll give the enemy time to become more powerful. And what's stopping the enemy from attacking again? Who'll be next? ElfLand? Onrac? My hometown? Yours?"  
  
Michael nodded, and his hand unconsciously reached for his sword. "You're right. Tomorrow, we leave on our journey to revive the Orbs."  
  
Aiko walked into the Coneria Inn, and the pretty young innkeeper offered him a free room at the inn as part of her thanks to the Light Warriors.  
  
"I'm just looking for Ramesh."  
  
"The green mage fellow? He collapsed after the battle, and I brought him in to rest in the room to the left over there."  
  
Aiko walked into Ramesh's room. The summoner lay stretched out on the bed. When he heard the black mage enter the room, he turned over to look him in the eye.  
  
"Ah, the so-called Light Warrior comes. Why are you here?"  
  
"I just want to talk."  
  
"Ask and you shall know."  
  
Aiko straightened his black robes. "What is summoning magic like?"  
  
Something in Ramesh's face changed. "Summoning is true power. Summoning a force greater than any human being could ever hope to be then bending it to your will. Wielding the ancient forces themselves as weapons makes you unstoppable."  
  
"The summons... I already have at my command Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, and Leviathan. Two still remain unlearned to me. Bahamut, King of Dragons, and another, ancient and powerful beyond imagination, whose name is unknown to me. With these I shall smash the Fiends and myself bring peace unto the world."  
  
Aiko could not help but look at Ramesh's face. The raw power of summons changed Ramesh. Aiko understood the summoner, though his reasoning sounded like the words of a madman. Power, true power, was going to be the key to defeating the Fiends. In power he could be secure, and only in power could he trust. He knew that all too well.  
  
Aiko knew the best course of action was to appease this madman as to not make himself an enemy whose power may rival the fiends themselves. "Let us depart as allies. You continue your way of saving the world, and we Light Warriors will continue ours."  
  
"Very well. Do as you will."  
  
Logan sat reading the holy book in silence until she was approached by the red mage Alan. She shut the book and stood to face him.  
  
"Ah, Logan. I've been looking for you. I have something for you." Alan handed a folded bundle of white cloth to Logan. "This is a robe I received when I studied white magic, long ago. I hope you'll get more use out of it than I have."  
  
Logan unfolded the new robe, then looked down at her own tattered robe. This new robe was untainted, while the old one was ripped and torn in many places. However, this new robe at the bottom hem had a pattern of crimson red, unlike her robe that she knew to be pure white. Looking down at her own robe, there was a corresponding circle of dried red blood around the bottom hem.  
  
"Is something wrong?" asked Alan.  
  
"No, no. Thank you for the robe." Alan turned to walk away, then Logan called out to him. "Alan, thank you for fighting beside us. I've heard you are skilled not only in magic of both schools but also swordfighting. We Light Warriors would be honored to have you join us in our quest. You would be a great help to us."  
  
"Aye, I would be." Alan shook his head. "But I can't go with you. I'm going with Ramesh for a reason." Alan removed his hat, revealing his slivery hair. "My daughter, last year she fell ill of some disease the monks can't cure. There's only one thing in the world that can help her: the Archangel's Bell. Ramesh has to find this as part of his supposed quest to obtain the ultimate summon. I need to use him to get to the bell."  
  
"So you see, I can't go with you. Even if I could save the world, it wouldn't mean anything if I don't have my daughter. Call me selfish..."  
  
Logan shook her head. "Saving your daughter isn't selfish. I hope we'll meet again sometime, Alan."  
  
Alan bowed to Logan. "Likewise." The red mage turned around and left the library.  
  
Cadoc stood at the city gates, gazing at the sinking sun to the west. A woman in an elegant red silk dress walked up to him.  
  
"Princess Sara? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Just walking. Will you walk with me?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
The monk and the princess walked side-by-side out of the city gates. At Sara's prompting, he recounted to her the Light Warriors' tale thus far. The two walked until the sun was barely visible over the horizon while Cadoc told his tale.  
  
"After we cured the Elf Prince, we set sail back to Coneria. That's when... Well, you know the rest as well as I do."  
  
"Well, I never thanked you for saving me the second time." Sara gave Cadoc another kiss on the cheek. He blushed slightly, not out of embarrassment so much as out of surprise. "How was that?"  
  
Cadoc looked Sara in the eyes and smiled. "You never cease to amaze me, Sara." He took her soft white hand and gently kissed it.  
  
"You're no disappointment yourself, Sir Cadoc. It's a pity you're a monk."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Sara gave him a puzzled look. "You took a vow of chastity as monk, right?"  
  
"No. I'm actually a self-taught monk. I taught myself martial arts and discipline out of some old monastic books in my village church. I never took any vow of chastity."  
  
She smiled. "So there's hope for you becoming Prince Cadoc yet."  
  
Cadoc couldn't help himself, and started laughing. "Moving a little fast, don't you think?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "Either way, I had something I wanted to give you. Where did I put it again?" Sara reached down the front of her dress, and she noticed Cadoc smiling.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Oh, I just supposed you were going to ask me to get it for you."  
  
Sara herself blushed, then smiled. She stuck her chest forward. "Well... since you offered..." Sara reached down her dress again and pulled out a simple silver flute. "This is for you."  
  
Cadoc examined the shining instrument. "Thank you. What's this for?"  
  
"Just because. It's old family heirloom. They say it has mystical powers to dispel evil. Do you know how to play?"  
  
"Not very well. I'll be sure to practice with it." Cadoc tucked the flute under his belt. 'We need to get back to the castle. Everyone's going to be worried about you."  
"If you desire my strength, you must pay a price."  
- Yojimbo, FFX  
  
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Thank you for taking the time to read this far. I'd appreciate it if you take the time to review this story. I appreciate all input, including criticism. If you have a better quote from a Final Fantasy game to go at the end of a chapter, just tell me in a review. 


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